Centrifugal machine



June 6, 1967 A. MERCIER ETAL CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE Filed Feb. 18, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.|

INVENTORS ANDRE MERCIER ROGER JOSIEN BY I AGENT A. MERCIER ETAL 3,323,223

CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE- Jung 6, 1967 Filed Feb. 18, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS ANDRE MERGIER ROGER JOSIEN AGENT United States Patent Ofi ice 7 Claims. (01. 34-58) This invention relates to centrifugal machines, and particularly to centrifugal driers and like devices in which a rotatable basket is suspended from a vertical spindle within a receptacle, and is rotated by a motor which engages the top end of the spindle, the motor and spindle being mounted on a stationary support.

It was customary heretofore to erect a supporting frame at the place of installation of a centrifugal machine of the type described, to mount the motor, spindle and basket on the frame, and separately to support the receptacle. A centrifugal machine of the overhead-suspension type, with which this invention is particularly concerned, was shipped from the manufacturer to a prospective user, or between diiferent plants of the user, in two separate assemblies, one consisting mainly of the motor, the spindle and the basket, and the other of the receptacle and associated elements. They could not be combined, except at the point of actual installation, and had to be balanced and other-' wise adjusted after such installation.

The locally provided supporting frame for the basket and its drive usually was heavy, bulky and of limited rigidity under torsional stresses and under fiexural stresses at right angles to the principal plane of the frame because of the need to keep the frame open for access to the basket.

It is an object of this invention to provide a centrifugal machine of the afore-mentioned type which can readily be transported as a completely assembled unit and, therefore, may be fully adjusted at the manufacturing plant. I

With this object in view, the invention aims at a centrifugal machine which is lighter in weight, less bulky and more rigid than conventional, fully assembled centrifugal machines of equal capacity and conventional construction.

The salient feature of the centrifugal machine of the invention is a unitary shell a portion of which constitutes the stationary receptacle of the machine, whereas another integral shell portion constitutes a superstructure on which the movable machine parts are mounted.

Other features and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a centrifugal machine of the invention; and

FIG. 2 shows the machine of FIG. 1 in the installed condition in a front elevational and partly sectional view.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, and initially to FIG. 1, there is shown a unitary shell of approximately circular cross section about a vertical axis. The shell mainly consists of a cylindrical open-ended receptacle 2 of heavy sheet metal construction which constitutes the curb of the machine, and a frusto-conical superstructure 4 whose base has approximately the same diameter as the receptacle 2 and is welded to the top rim of the receptacle.

An electric motor 6 is coaxially supported on the top of the superstructure 4 outside the shell and drives a spindle 8. The spin-dle is mounted in a swivel bearing 7, also arranged on the top of the superstructure 4, which prevents transmission of the oscillating movements of the spindle 8 to the motor 6, as is conventional. A perforated Patented June 6, 1967 basket 9 is fixedly attached to the bottom end of the spindle 8 within the receptacle 2.

A disk brake 10 and an auxiliary drive motor 12 are coaxially superimposed on the motor 6 for engagement with the shaft of the motor 6. An overrunning coupling 14 connects the motors 6 and 12, and permits the shaft of the motor 6 to be turned by the slower motor 12 while preventing rotation of the motor 12 at the higher operating speed of the motor 6 when only the latter is energized.

The brake 10 is isolated from the oscillations of the spindle 8 by the bearing 7, and it will be appreciated that a disk brake could not be employed otherwise. The brake 10 is cooled by the ambient atmosphere, and may additionally be cooled by a liquid coolant passingthrou-gh ducts in the housing of the brake 10 in a manner not illustrated but conventional in itself. Similar cooling may be provided for the motor 6. The motor 6 drives the basket during centrifuging, and the motor 12 slowly rotates the basket during removal of a solid cake .from the basket 9 by conventional means, not illustrated in detail.

A square base plate formed with a central opening conformingly receiving the receptacle 2 is welded to the receptacle. When the centrifugal machine is installed, as shown in FIG. 2, the base plate 16 is sealingly attached to a foundation 17. The illustrated foundation consists of a concrete frame 17a carrying steel rails 17b.

The superstructure 4 has a large access opening which is normally closed by a door 20 of transparent plastic, such as polymet-hyl methacrylate. The access opening is at the base of the superstructure 4 whose top is of uninterrupted circular cross-section. The door 20 permits observation of the basket during operation, and the opening gives access to a spade or spatula during discharge of the solids from the basket 9 in the usual manner.

The door is attached to the superstructure 4 by two symmetrically mounted sets of hinged carrying elements, only one set being visible in FIG. 1 and consisting of a link 22 and a lever 23. A handle 24 on the lever 23 permits the door 20 to be lifted from the illustrated position in which it seals the access opening.

As shown in FIG. 2, the superstructure 4 has an apertwo 26 diametrically opposite the access opening. The aperture 26 is rectangular in shape and vertically elongated. A pivot pin 27 is journaled in two internal ribs 29 of the superstructure 4, which extend along the long sides of the aperture 26, and carries a chute 28. Only the bottom face of the chute is visible in FIG. 2. It conformingly engages and seals the aperture 26 in the illustrated inoperative position of the chute. When the chute is pivoted inwardly of the shell by a handle 36, it guides a charge of slurry into the basket 9. Gaskets arranged around the perimeter of the door 20 and of the chute 28 have been omitted from the drawing for the sake of clarity.

A slot 31 in the superstructure 4 accommodates an actuating arm 32 which is an element of a. mechanism, not fully shown, and conventional in itself, for lifting an annular valve 33 from the bottom of the basket 9 during discharge of solids from the basket. The valve, which is shown in broken outline both in the open and in the closed position, is mounted on a tube 34 coaxially enveloping a portion of the spindle 8 and having a collar 35 at its top end. A fork 36 on the arm 32 movably engages a circumferential groove in the collar 35.

If it is desired to seal the interior of the shell from the ambient atmosphere, a rubber sleeve or diaphragm is sealingly attached to the superstructure 4 about the slot 31 and to the arm 32 in a manner known in itself.

The operation of the described centrifugal machine is so closely analogous to that of known. suspension-type centrifugal machines as not to require more detailed description.

The apparatus of the invention differs from the known devices of the same general type by a favorable distribu tion of stresses which permits the use of relatively lightgage material in the construction of the shell components 2, 4 without impairing the rigidity of the apparatus. Evenrelatively large centrifugal machines of the invention, therefore, may be transported as fully assembled units and are installed by fastening them to a simple prepared foundation.

The shell is normally fluid tight and may be secured to the foundation in fluid tight manner. Escape of gases noxious to the operating personnel may thus be readily prevented, and contamination of the centrifuged material may be prevented without difficulty. If so desired, the shell may be filled with an inert gas or may be evacuated. The necessary modifications of the illustrated structure will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

It should be understood, therefore, that the foregoing disclosure relates only to a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A centrifugal machine comprising, in combination:

(a) a unitary supporting shell of substantially circular cross section about a normally vertical axis, said shell being constructed of sheet material and having (1) a substantially cylindrical receptacle portion and (2) a superstructure portion of substantially frustoconical shape axially superposed on said receptacle portion, (3) the base of said superstructure portion being fixedly fastened to said receptacle portion; (b) a bearing coaxially supported on the top of said superstructure portion remote from said base; a spindle suspended from said top received in said bearing for rotation;

(d) a basket mounted on said spindle in said receptacle portion; and

(e) a motor coaxially supported on said superstructure portion outside said shell and operatively connected to said spindle for actuating rotation of the same.

2. A machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein said superstructure portion is formed with an opening therein for access to the interior of said shell, the machine further comprising a door releasably sealing said opening.

3. A machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein said superstructure portion is formed with an aperture, said machine further comprising chute means for guiding a charge through said aperture into said basket, said chute means including a chute member, and pivot means on said superstructure portion attached to said chute member for pivoting movement of the latter between an operative position in which said chute member extends inward from said aperture into said shell, and an inoperative position in which said chute member seals said aperture.

4. A machine as set forth in claim 1, further comprising mounting plate means on said receptacle portion for attaching said shell to a base in sealing engagement.

5. A machine as set forth in claim 1, further comprising brake means engageable with said spindle for arresting rotation of said basket, said brake means being coaxially mounted on said superstructure portion above said bearing.

6. A machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein an axial part of said superstructure portion is of closed circular cross section about said axis.

7. A machine as set forth in claim 6, wherein said axis part includes said top of the superstructure portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,202,890 10/ 1916 PrestWich 2l0-366 1,633,570 6/1927 Carroll 210147 2,328,394 8/1943 Neuman 210-375 X 2,761,564 '9/1956 Tholl et al 210368 FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Primary Examiner.

D. A. TAMBURRO, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) A UNITARY SUPPORTING SHELL OF SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION ABOUT A NORMALLY VERTICAL AXIS, SAID SHELL BEING CONSTRUCTED OF SHEET MATERIAL AND HAVING (1) A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL RECEPTACLE PORTION AND (2) A SUPERSTRUCTURE PORTION OF SUBSTANTIALLY FRUSTOCONICAL SHAPE AXIALLY SUPERPOSED ON SAID RECEPTACLE PORTION, (3) THE BASE OF SAID SUPERSTRUCTURE PORTION BEING FIXEDLY FASTENED TO SAID RECEPTACLE PORTION; (B) A BEARING COAXIALLY SUPPORTED ON THE TOP OF SAID SUPERSTRUCTURE PORTION REMOTE FROM SAID BASE; (C) A SPINDLE SUSPENDED FROM SAID TOP RECEIVED IN SAID BEARING FOR ROTATION; 